The Cults of New Saints and the Christianization of Scandinavia

The Cults of New Saints and the Christianization of Scandinavia: A Study of the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Lund and Uppsala until 1300

By Sara E. Ellis Nilsson

Graduate Draft Paper, 2014

For, as history shows, it is a characteristic of the saints that, setting the example of others before their own eyes, they arouse in themselves the desire for better things, and as their life draws to its close they increase the love of God in their hearts – from Willibald’s Life of Saint Boniface

Here lies Martin the bishop, of holy memory, whose soul is in the hand of God; but he is fully here, present and made plain in miracles of every kind.

When the aisle between the tower and the church in Skövde was built, some asked why this space was needed. She [Elin] answered, God will give you a saint whose body and relics can be laid here in an honourable manner. She said this about herself, although she was speaking about someone else. After her violent death, her venerable body was buried in that space.

At the core of the following research project can be found the medieval cult of saints. In order to achieve a better understanding of this phenomenon and its effects, a specific geographical region – Scandinavia – has been studied. The impact of these cults of saints in the North is determined by what marks they left behind; however, our understanding is also limited by what cultic remnants survived the Reformation and intervening centuries.

This research project examines aspects of the cults of local saints that developed in Scandinavia during the latter stages of the Christianization of the region. In addition, it examines the connections between the establishment of new cults and the formation of an ecclesiastical organization and administration in the region. The study focuses on and compares the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Lund, roughly the area of medieval Denmark, and Uppsala, the area of medieval Sweden. These archbishoprics are ideal for a comparison as they were closely connected on an administrative level during the medieval period.

Click here to read this thesis from the University of Gothenburg